In 1858 Monticello elected 21-year-old James Butler Hickok (better known as
Wild Bill Hickok) as town constable. At one time Monticello had a stage shop, stores, saloons, blacksmith, doctor, hotel, general store, school house, churches, and about 15 dwellings. The 1910 population was about 63. The town was bypassed by the Kansas Midland Railroad (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe), which instead passed
Olathe which caused the town to lose its county seat status. In 1987,
Shawnee annexed land south of 55th to 83rd/79th west to the
Kansas River, increasing the city size to . Before its annexation, Monticello Township was the natural crossroads for
fur trading and later westward emigration by wagon. ==See also==